Padres Play Weekend Series in Pittsburgh

Aug 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Starling Marte (6) is greeted by catcher Russell Martin (55) as he crosses home plate to score against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Padres Series Preview

The Padres (52-61) head to the Steel City to play a 3-game weekend series with the Pirates (60-53). The Padres are coming off of a series split with the Twins and are firmly in 3rd place in the NL West. The Bucs are in 3rd place in a very crowded NL Central, only 1.5 games back of the first place Brewers and just finished a series with the Marlins where the Pirates took two out of three.

The Pirates may be without MVP Andrew McCutchen, who has a broken rib. The Pirates are also without their strong young starter, Southern Californian Gerrit Cole, who is on the disabled list with a sore back. The Padres are getting healthier but still have some players that will not play in this series. Carlos Quentin will not be with the team as he is still on the DL with a sore knee. Andrew Cashner will not join the team but has started a rehab assignment.

These two teams faced off in early June at Petco Park. The Pirates took the series two games to one. The Padres won their  lone game of that series on one hit, while drawing 9 walks. The Padres offense has come a long way since June, and look to even the score.